Sustainable intensification of cereal-based farming systems in Eastern and Southern Africa

Project Inception Workshop

6-9 February 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Non-site specific early wins / jumpstart

This workshop provides an opportunity for a broad group of important stakeholders to both learn about the project plans and to share their views on expectations from and opportunities for synergies with the project (days 1 and 2) and for the core project team to finalize the project details (days 3 and 4).

---

Thursday group results
Presentation by Elizabeth Skewgar


Summary across the three groups ON WEDNESDAY (Ewen):

• (participatory) mapping / cataloguing / assessment of:
  • SI opportunities for farmers
  • best bet system components and their applicability in various areas)
  • nutritious options for different varieties
• Mapping in relation with technologies and existing partners: Map potential partners and networks that can help:
  • Working on these system components, crop management issues
  • Knowledge to share with us
  • And this mapping should also focus on farmer network and decision-making processes
• Engagement (through IPs, with farmers), communication technology transfer and outreach strategy: media campaign on nutritious aspects, improved varieties etc., seed fairs, on-farm demos i.e.
• Capacity building: identify students for MSc/PhD placement and development of education materials
• Key question: How to prioritise in view of Sept. 2012 deadline?How to take this forward?
• Comment: There are also a lot of options that we will find out when we go to farmers along in the engagement strategy

What you identified, how and with whom?

Group 1: six early win options.

• Best bet catalogue of crop varieties (crop management options) -> Test seed production on maize/legumes/rice systems. Who? CIMMYT, ICRISAT, AfricaRice, CIAT, IITA, Sokoine University.
• Fortify food to improve nutrition of (breastefeeding) women, children, people with HIV/AIDS through maize (Tanzania). Who? MoA, IITA, TBS, CIMMYT, Sokoine Uni (SUA). In Malawi: Infant feeding, Michigan St. Uni, MoH, NARS, IITA. Malawi: soy beans, maize, pigeon peas.
• Assess aflatoxins -> literature review (and survey population for exposure?). Who? TBS, peanut CRSP, ICRISAT, TFDA.
• Assess nutritious options for use of smallholder farmers --> nutrient contents of indigenous vegetables, legumes and maize, animal feeds (forage, silage, crop residues). Who? ILRI, AVRDC, Uni. of Zambia, IITA, ICRISAT, DARS (Malawi), ZARI (Zambia), CRSPs, SUA.
• Assess catalogue for crop management options: conservation agric options (maize, legumes, intercrop rotation, minimum tillage, crop residue management, agroforestry). Who? Sanrem.
• Dairy value chains -> hay for feed conservation (for use in off-season) Who? ILRI, IITA, Tanzania Dairy Board, PRC Kongwa, Tanga Livestock Research, HPI.

Group 2:

• Technology scan / inventory of system components (e.g. best bet practices). Mapping in the region of rpactices, where they're applicable, their availability etc. and feed that to later research;
• Mapping of development partners, private sector actors, e.g. project mapping related to technology above, where it's used, opportunities/constraints, expert farmer innovators in the system that could be part of the campaign; bottlenecks and possible solutions --> compile it in educational materials and make this information accessible to media campaigns, ... target ... make it available via TV, mobile phones etc. combining 1 and 2 use innovation platforms around livestock information officers for their reporting meetings on behalf of council, feeding into agric advisors (nested under regional agric secretaries);

Important to understand components of the systems e.g. what breeds are out there, to figure out longer term research needs. Get a sense of what's out there, where might be improved varieties, where they might be applicable. Also mapping in relation with improved technologies: who are development partners working on these?
Expert network: if we see there are unmet demands for e.g. pigeon peas, we should be able to quickly identify a source to fill the gap - our responsibility is to make this sustainable. Who is working longer term in the region?
Education materials: they are part of our innovation platforms.
Who? AfricaRice has a lot of experience and materials on rice techniques and are on TV on a regular basis. They have a whole library of video materials we could pull together --> develop a strong media campaign with one spot a day on nutrition, improved variety etc. The mapping exercise will help identify farmers/consumers.
This could continue over time.


Comments?

• Good plan. But oftentimes we have top-down perspectives. If we look at the actual networks of farmers and their decision-making processes, it will help us map back up: who are they talking to to make decisions? Perhaps certain agencies we would have otherwise overlooked. Network-generator research could prove handy here.
• Do we have 2 types of technology scans/catalogues. We need generic information and local (participatory) assessments. There are thus 2 different levels: technical databased catalogues and others that are ready for prime time.
• In Addis we were told that process-y initiatives like these wouldn't be sexy for the donor. --> But this is an action that activates the work in this project.

Group 3:
Presentation:

• Test officially released vegetable varieties and associated technologies in rotation, relay, mixed cropping;
• Initiate partnerships with stakeholders, especially farmer groups;
• Capacity building in crucial areas (field agents, nutrition) in preparation for participation in the project;
• Extension of animal feeding technologies that lead to rapid fattening or increased milk/meat/egg production;
• Training farmer groups to produce quality declared (certified) seeds;
• Building networks/relationships & alignment of SI technologies with markets;
• Communication technology transfer and outreach strategy (field days, 8-8, seed fairs, on-farm demos, leaflets etc.);
• Identification of potential students (selection and placement of MSc/PhD students);
• Nutrient enhancing recipes in local languages;
• Post harvest technologies for longer and safer storage;
• Nutrient dense varieties (e.g. fortified maize varieties, iron-rich mung-bean, protein rich soy bean, vitamin rich vegetables);
• Participatory diagnosis of opportunities for SI / farmer-identified priorities for SI;
• Push-pull technique for stem borer control and forage production;
• Identification of networks that support knowledge provision;
• Appropriate and safe soil, water and pest management options for production.

Comments:

• One of our partner NGOs could be involved in this (peanut shellers);
• Also add TFNC (private sector) and IITA for 'nutrient enhancing recipes;
• How can we minimize pressures from reporting? How can we prioritize early wins? --> we didn't work on priorities here but we see that there are lots of jumpstart options. By interacting at local level we should be able to get these early wins - as part of the interaction.
•